Kevin Hart Recieves Warm Welcome As He Returns To The Stage After Stepping Down As Oscars 2019 Host

Kevin Hart received a warm welcome this weekend in Australia, where he performed two comedy shows at a stadium, just after he stepped down as host of the 2019 Oscars following backlash over past anti-gay tweets.The 39-year-old comedian, one of the most successful in the world, posted on his Instagram page on Saturday a video of him onstage at a packed Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney as the crowd cheers. He says, “Two sold-out shows in Sydney, Australia and I gotta tell you, I’m f–king blown away.”

He also wrote, “All I can say is WOOOOOOOOW…..Thank you so much Sydney Australia….Making the world laugh is forever a priority. Blessed to be able to bring laughter on a international level & do what I love!!!! #irresponsibletour #comedicrockstarshit #LiveLoveLaugh”

While he did not address the Oscars controversy specifically during Saturday’s show, he did tell the audience, “Always embrace your flaws and f–k ups,” a source told E! News. In addition to the backlash over his past anti-gay tweets, Hart has also come under fire for his 2017 cheating scandal. He had apologized to his then-pregnant wife, Eniko Hart for his “bad” behavior and she has since forgiven him.

Hart had announced on Tuesday that he would host the 2019 Oscars. Users then unearthed anti-gay tweets he posted years ago, which he soon deleted .

He later revealed that the Academy asked him to apologize for his past homophobic remarks as a condition for him keeping his Oscars hosting gig. He initially refused, saying, “I’ve addressed it. I’ve spoken on it. I’ve said where the rights and wrongs were. I’ve said who I am now versus who I was then. I’ve done it. I’m not gonna continue to go back and tap into the days of old when I’ve moved on.”

But on Thursday, he said in a statement that he had “made the choice to srep down from hosting this year’s Oscars………this is because I do not want to be a distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so many amazing talented artists.””I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past,” he wrote, adding, “I’m sorry that I hurt people.. I am evolving and want to continue to do so. My goal is to bring people together not tear us apart. Much love & appreciation to the Academy. I hope we can meet again.”